Brunnera with Forget-Me-Nots in foreground
Close Up of Brunnera Flowers
Typical Mound of Brunnera after it is established
Brunnera Macrophyla
(False Forget-Me-Not, Siberian Bugloss)
Type: Perennial (Zones 3-8). Looses it leaves in winter.
Light Requirements: Part Shade to Shade
Moisture/Soil: Average moisture. Doesn’t like dry shade.
Blooms: Mid spring. Little blue flower similar to Forget-Me-Not.
Leaves: Green heart shape. Many of the other varieties have silver or white highlights. They have a rough texture.
Size: Height: 12-18′ (including flower height) Width: 12″ (larger if you let it clump)
Additional Info: I have been growing these is part shade to shade conditions and they do very well for me.
Pros: This plant does very well for me in part shade and shade and in clay soil. The advantage to these over Forget-Me-Nots are that the heart shaped leaves remain all season while the Forget-Me-Nots reseed and then die back by the middle of summer. Also deer and rabbits don’t like them! They also don’t require any maintenance unless you want to divide them.
Cons: They do self seed (I don’t really see this as a con though). Mine are all from a Plant Exchange where they are either self-seeders or divided. One thing to keep in mind that the variegated varieties may not produce true plants from seeds.
Origin: Eastern Europe.
Varieties: There are several variegated varieties to choose from.
‘Jack Frost’ - Well known for its silver leaves. Very beautiful! I remember when this was introduced about 10 years ago. My mom has quite a few of these. Fortunately they have become much more easy to find and are not as expensive as they use to be.
‘Looking Glass’ - A more silvery version of Jack Frost
‘Kings Ransom’ – Similar to Jack Frost with a creamy yellowish edge
‘Emerald Mist’ – Has silver spots near the edge of the leaf. I just realized that I have a couple of these. (top left photo there are some on the left side)
‘Langtrees’ - Looks almost identical to Emerald Mist
*The Plant of the Week is based on plants that do well in my 7a/6b garden in SE Pennsylvania.
